The team is reportedly considering using the franchise tag on outside linebacker Anthony Spencer

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As the NFL’s free agency period rapidly approaches, the Dallas Cowboys are seeking a sit-down with Roosevelt Barnes, the agent representing outside linebacker Anthony Spencer.

Spencer is set to become a free agent, but the team could place the franchise tag on him. The franchise tag would pay Spencer approximately $8.8 million dollars and keep him around for the 2012 season.

No meeting has been scheduled as of yet, “but there's a chance we'll probably get with him," executive vice president Stephen Jones said from Indianapolis (the site of the Scouting Combine) this week.

Todd Archer of ESPN Dallas points out today that the Cowboys have used the franchise tag just twice, with tackle Flozell Adams in 2002 and safety Ken Hamlin in 2008. According to Jones, there are several factors to consider when franchising a player, which helps explain why Dallas isn’t in any great rush to make a decision.

"It's obviously usually a pretty decent [salary] number and it's not a cap-friendly deal, so that's probably the hardest thing," Jones said. "But at the same time it allows you some protection."